Various means are known to secure terminals inside of cavities of a housing. These include the use of potting compound, spring clips and the like. Especially in a multiterminal housing it is important that all terminals be held securely and in accurate alignment during assembly and handling of the housing and during mating with a corresponding housing which may involve significant insertion force, to maintain the precise alignment of many terminals with their counterpart terminals. Such concerns are also important during in-service use of the housing and during disengagement of one housing from the other when a terminal therein may be subjected to tensile force or tugging and possibly become dislodged from or loosened within its cavity.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,066,325 discloses a lock plate insertable into a connector housing's rear slot adjacent an associated row of terminated conductors secured in the housing. Each lock plate latchably secures to the housing and secures the stamped and formed channel-shaped terminals of that row in their respective passageways forwardly of the lock plate, by means of engaging perpendicular tabs of each terminal. Two such plates can secure two rows of terminals in the housing. The lock plate is said to move any partially seated terminals to a fully seated position, during insertion of the lock plate into the housing.
Japanese Patent Publication No. 57-192076 discloses a plate-shaped spacer insertable into a housing adjacent its one row of terminated conductors, and having forwardly extending portions each associated with a respective terminal. The front surface of each such portion engages behind a radially extending projection of the rear section of each of the respective terminals and secures the terminals in respective housing cavities when the spacer is latchingly secured in the housing. The spacer also is shown to engage the spaced cables by a planar surface holding them adjacent the opposing housing wall in a plane. The terminals have rectangular socket contact sections held in correspondingly rectangular housing passageways and must of necessity be inserted in only one angular orientation, with all rear projections having to extend in a common direction to be engaged by the spacer. Use of such a projection on a terminal of circular cross-section would require the burdensome procedure of obtaining the proper angular orientation of the terminated conductor during insertion, and would also require means for securing the terminal against rotation thereafter.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,655,525 discloses a locking insert insertable into a housing cavity between two adjacent rows of terminals, alongside their conductors, to stoppingly engage rearward ends of the terminals to assure that the terminals are fully seated in respective housing cavities, and fully seat those that are not, whereafter the insert latches in the housing to assure that the terminals remain secured in the housing.
It is desirable to have, in addition to a securing means, a secondary means to assure that the terminals remain properly secured within their respective cavities after assembly, during handling and in-service use. It is also desirable to do this in a way which permits disassembly for removal and replacement of terminals, for instance. Further, it is desirable to do this in an economical manner. It is also desirable to provide a means to provide terminal position assurance, that is, a means to actively position a terminal properly within its cavity by moving it axially forwardly until it is seated or latchably secured therein.
It is also desirable to provide a system for secondarily retaining terminals in the housing irrespective of their angular orientation during insertion and after primary retention.
It is further desirable for the terminals terminated to the cables to be laterally stabilized in all angular directions at the rearward terminal ends to maintain axial alignment of the terminals in their respective housing cavities and thereby facilitate proper mating with corresponding terminals or with test equipment.